Italia ’90 is one of my favourite World Cups, the great players involved, the official song that sent shivers down the spine and the sensational haircuts sported by the protagonists. The tournament sadly didn’t go to plan. Instead of an England vs Italy final pitching Roberto Baggio against Paul Gascoigne, we had the brutally efficient Germans against the barbaric Argentinians, both of whom arrived in the final on penalty shoot outs in games they should have lost. The final fittingly featured the first two sendings off in a World Cup Final and was decided by a German penalty. Anyway, bitter rant aside, here are my top 5 moments from this tournament…

Roberto Baggio’s goal against Czech Republic

From the gentle, swaying symmetry of the run, to the delicate drop of the shoulder before the exquisite finish, everything about this goal was so perfect. It was the goal Nessun Dorma was meant to accompany and it marked the arrival of Il Divino Codino at the tournament.

The Cameroon team’s efforts in stopping Claudio Cannigia in the opening game

Those who referred to Cameroon as a ‘breath of fresh air’ in Italia ’90 were almost certainly football romantics and definitely not from Argentina. Their 1-0 win over the defending champions in the opening game was down in no small part to their robust approach to defending (given Argentina’s performance against the Italy and Germany later on in the tournament, no sympathy is due), which is perfectly summed up by the two unsuccessful attempts to stop Claudio Cannigia and the final successful one.

Frank Rijkaard spitting in Rudi Voller’s ear

There’s no love lost between Holland and Germany (those darn continentals can be such a fractious bunch) and this bad tempered clash finally came to a head with Rijkaard and Voller being sent off for a spot of handbags. Rijkaard’s timing and accuracy were typically Dutch, while the look on Rudi’s face when he realises what Frank has done to his favourite mullet is priceless.

David Platt’s last minute winner against Belgium

Make no mistake, this game was pretty turgid. England were appalling (I recently saw a rerun of the entire fixture on ESPN, for those of you questioning my memory skills), with the exception of Scifo’s shooting it had few highlights. But the conga-inducing finish by Platt means England fans will always remember this game fondly. Gazza’s surging run to win the free kick should be taken in the context of two hours played in Italian summer heat, what an engine that boy had.

Gazza’s Tears

I’m sure you don’t need a youtube clip to picture this. Having picked up a booking for a frankly atrocious and unnecessary tackle against Belgium, Gazza went into the semi final against Germany knowing one booking would see him miss the final. There are many enduring images from that night, Lineker’s look to the bench, Bobby Robson wistfully staring at his feet and Gazza’s anguish written all over his face. It’s only when you look back at Italia ’90, you realise what a talent he was. A genuine box to box midfielder, who would put his foot in when needed, but could also ghost through the opposition like they weren’t there.